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Mar 7, 2008 11:42 pm US/Eastern
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NYC Detectives Dismantle Major UES Heroin Mill
Drug Mart Located In High Rent Studio Apartment Overlooking School Playground
By Dave Carlin, CBS 2 HD News
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
A major drug bust on the Upper East Side in Manhattan on Friday has led to the arrest of seven people, including a court officer, CBS 2 has learned. Detectives dismantled a heroin mill in a studio apartment that overlooks a middle school playground.
Inside apartment 2-B of a high rent location, smack dab on the Upper East Side, police uncovered what they describe as a well-oiled $4 million a year heroin operation. The bust occurred right under the noses of shocked neighbors who would have never imagined such activities taking place in an otherwise up-scale, residential NYC neighborhood.
"I was leaving my apartment battering ram and there were cops, so I asked some questions and I found out what has happened. You don't know who your neighbors are in this city. You just never know," said resident Janet Kim.
According to Kim, she has seen the suspect Juan Pablo Ramos, who she described as well dressed and friendly. Police say Ramos has a home in Edgewater, New Jersey, but used the UES location, nestled within easy reach of a very elite clientele as his office and distribution center.
"My son goes to school nearby. As a parent how do you react? I'm shocked, I'm outraged," said Juliana Teoh.
Also arrested were 6 others. Some of them are suspected associates of Ramos, who police say helped him grind heroin and package it into glassine envelopes. One of the 7 suspects is William Moser, a Manhattan Courts Officer.
Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget Brennan said Friday that the gang distributed more than 4 kilograms of heroin a month and grossed about $4 million a year.
Brennan said the heroin, packaged in $10 bags, was sold wholesale to street dealers on the Upper East Side, West Village, Gramercy Park and East Harlem.
Despite the natural shock, some neighbors aren't too surprised by the recent raid, saying that the quiet East 75th Street provides the perfect cover for hiding unsavory criminal operations.
"Between the doormen and the services, you can hide more easily than a more sophisticated building," said Upper East Side resident, Lisa Lawson.
Please stay tuned to CBS 2 and wcbstv.com for the latest on this developing story.
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